Labor brokers blamed for boat accident
Labor brokers blamed for boat accident
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief blamed labor
brokers Saturday for the boat accident that killed at least 53
Indonesian job seekers attempting to illegally enter Malaysia
last week.
Latief urged the police to track the brokers down and hold
them responsible for the accident which occurred off Johor,
Malaysia on Nov. 12.
In a press statement made available to The Jakarta Post,
Latief extended his sympathy to the victims' families and said he
wanted to see the scalpers brought to trial.
The accident happened when the motor boat carrying 90
Indonesian job seekers capsized in the Malaka Strait, just two
miles from Tanjung Balau, Johor.
The Ministry of Manpower said that 53 people died in the
accident, but the Antara bureau in Malaysia put the death toll at
61. At least 26 people, including a few labor brokers, survived
the dawn accident. Three are still missing.
Search and rescue workers found it difficult to identify many
of the victims because their bodies were badly decomposed. Most
of the job seekers came from Tulungagung, East Java.
The sea mishap is the latest of numerous similar stories
involving Indonesians dying while attempting to find work. Many
times the Malaysian authorities have forced the boats back into
rough seas.
The Ministry of Manpower said it would hand out more
information on how to legally seek overseas employment. The
ministry will also improve coordination among the concerned
agencies.
The Committee for Manpower Supply, an organization comprised
of representatives from various ministries and from the
Intelligence branch of the Armed Forces, also deplored the Nov.
12 accident.
The illegal export of workers was high on the agenda at their
recent meeting. The committee members urged that labor scalpers
involved in supplying illegal workers be brought to court.
Committee chairman A. Rachim said on Saturday that he strongly
recommends that the government improve the labor export
procedures to curb the smuggling of humans.
The members also suggested that workers departing from Riau
and East Kalimantan, which both share borders with Malaysia, be
more strictly monitored.
The committee members also decided to meet with Malaysian
counterparts to discuss the export and import of labor.
The ministry's Inspector General is currently in Riau, the
closest transit point to Malaysia, collecting more information on
the accident.(pwn)